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Monday 13 June 2011

[wanita-muslimah] For Indonesia's Forests, a Broken Promise + The Thinker: The Trap of Idealism + comment

 

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/for-indonesias-forests-a-broken-promise/446266

For Indonesia's Forests, a Broken Promise
Bernadinus Steni | June 11, 2011

In his recent opinion article in these pages, Agus Purnomo, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's special adviser on climate change, blamed the environmental movement's attack on the presidential instruction on the logging moratorium, saying the criticism overlooked the many good aspects of the decree, which puts a two-year halt on new permits to clear primary forests and carbon-rich peatland.

We commend the president for taking steps to protect the remaining forests in Indonesia, but as civil society organizations, it is our duty to speak out when the measures are not the right ones.

We agree and appreciate most of Agus's arguments. The moratorium does indeed provide momentum to begin much-needed reform of the country's forestry sector. Conceptually, the moratorium has revived long-lasting efforts advocated by the environmental movement to adopt sustainable development principles and to respect human rights. There is now increased awareness of the hazards that deforestation and forest degradation pose to our nation.

However, Agus failed to acknowledge that the substance of the presidential instruction is far below even the most modest expectations, thus failing to fulfill Indonesia's national and international commitments.

We had expected the moratorium to move beyond business as usual. Environmental organizations and human rights supporters had made a number of recommendations to make this so.

First, we suggested the moratorium cover all existing natural forest and peatlands in Indonesia, including secondary forests that are especially diverse in species and that often contain vast amounts of carbon. Such forest areas are crucial to local peoples' livelihoods.

Second, we said the moratorium should include a review of existing permits, to assess their compliance with social and environmental requirements.

Third, that there should be a plan for conflict resolution that would help resolve the numerous land feuds around the country.

Fourth, we had expressed a need for a new legal framework that would put an end to the current destruction while also ensuring the rights of marginalized communities that have been denied access to their land and resources.

Fifth, we called for the moratorium to be based on achievements, rather than a pre-set time frame. We hoped it would refer to the real conditions that need immediate and concrete action in order to protect our forests, and last until sustainable and rights-based forest management could be ensured.

Finally, we advised that the moratorium should be based on the achievement of "Social Welfare for All Indonesian People," as mandated by the nation's state ideology, Pancasila.

Sadly, none of these recommendations were adopted by the president in his instruction. It can be claimed that the scope of the Ministry of Forestry's strategic plan for 2010-2014 is more forward-thinking than the moratorium. For instance, the strategy includes bureaucratic reform and accountability measures, as well as community empowerment initiatives. Furthermore, the 2009 Law on Environmental Protection and Management commissions a review of existing permits based on environmental standards.

These crucial steps are not sufficiently covered in the presidential instruction. So how, then, can Agus claim that the moratorium offers a "clean sheet" and "an opportunity to refine regulation of land use permits, establish a database of degraded land, designate land for development and find ways to support companies to move into degraded land?"

Agus is referring to crucial steps if we want to protect our remaining forests, but the moratorium is too weak to ensure any of this. For years, the Ministry of Forestry has been called on to improve governance by creating greater transparency in granting licenses and ensuring the meaningful participation of forest communities in policy-making processes.

But nothing has changed so far. Therefore, we urge the president to be brave and progressive enough to implement the necessary measures to rectify this weak moratorium. Among these steps could be a strong mandate to a new institution, with the power to revise existing concessions and cancel those which are violating our laws, destroying our forests and denying the human rights of our people.

Indonesia's forest cannot wait any longer. For its sake, and for that of all those who depend on forest areas for their livelihoods, we hope the president will reconsider the nature of the current decree and take the opportunity to implement the reforms needed to solve problems in the forestry sector.

Bernadinus Steni is a member of the Jakarta-based Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for the Rescue of Indonesian Forests and the Global Climate.

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http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/columns/the-thinker-the-trap-of-idealism/445381

The Thinker: The Trap of Idealism
Agus Purnomo | June 07, 2011

It has been nearly three weeks since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a landmark presidential instruction binding Indonesia to a two-year moratorium on the issuance of new licenses for the conversion of primary forest and peatland.

In the intervening period, there has been a fierce debate about the details of the moratorium. Thinly veiled attempts by the environmental movement to reinterpret a done deal is taking the focus away from real and pressing issues. In its quest for the perfect, the environmental movement is attacking the good. The debate about what could have or should have been is delaying the bigger and more important job of reducing deforestation and cutting the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

One often repeated misconception is that the moratorium could have been a silver bullet for all of Indonesia's natural resource management ills. Such a view ignores the fact that the nation today is very different than it was 15 to 20 years ago.

There have been four presidents since a stroke of pen was enough to move the country. The political realities of today's democratic Indonesia are very different. On issue as large as climate change and deforestation, the president and the central government certainly stakes out the course. But the root causes of deforestation are highly complex. We know that successful implementation of the moratorium is dependent on the support of Indonesia's 33 provinces and 497 districts. It certainly makes implementation more challenging, but regional and local support is a prerequisite for a policy of this scope to succeed in the long term.

The environmental movement has been so focused on the two-year moratorium, specifically which parts of Indonesia's forests are included, that activists have forgotten to look at what's next. In all the excitement around the moratorium, they have lost sight of the fact that it's merely a means to an end. It's a tool to help the government move forward with a broader agenda of sustainable economic growth.

The moratorium is an important step toward a greener growth path that emphasizes leaving something behind for future generations. But it's only the first step. Now that the deal has been signed, we can start the long and difficult journey to reducing deforestation, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and managing Indonesia's natural resources more efficiently.

Geothermal power is a case in point. In the presidential instruction, geothermal power plants are allowed to be established in primary forest. From an environmental point of view it makes perfect sense, but activists cry foul. With 28,100 megawatts of potential geothermal reserves, Indonesia has the world's largest resources of clean and renewable geothermal energy.

One of the obstacles has been that many potential geothermal reserves are located in conservation forests. The Ministry of Forestry has, until recently, been prohibited by the 1999 Forestry Law to convert conservation forest, and, as a result, power-hungry Indonesia has not seen a single geothermal plant developed for more than a decade. This has prevented it from moving towards a greener economy and reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

The presidential instruction opens the door for geothermal power development in primary forests, a step that can reduce Indonesia's overall greenhouse gas emissions. The alternatives to geothermal power are coal-fired or gas-fired power plants.

What the moratorium does is quite simple. It creates a pause, allowing Indonesia to start with a clean sheet, and to develop and implement policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with international commitments. Specifically, it gives the country the chance to improve forest governance. It is an opportunity to refine regulation of land use permits, establish a database of degraded land, designate land for development and find ways to support companies to move into degraded land.

The moratorium gives Indonesia time to improve agricultural productivity and address land tenure issues related to overlapping concessions and the rights of local communities. It will also provide the opportunity to strengthen enforcement of sustainable logging and mining practices and decrease the use of fire in land clearing.

Each of these issues is difficult, and put together make for a highly complex undertaking. A new approach is needed. It is important to take a step back and stop seeing one green solution as an obstacle for another. While there is no perfect solution, good alternatives exist. Waiting for a flawless solution will only result in more primary forest being lost.

Agus Purnomo is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's special adviser on climate change.

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Comments
jchay9:29am Jun 8, 2011

Mr Agus, while I agree that this moratorium is one (small) step, yet I still can't tell which direction this step is taking Indonesia or whether this is the best and needed step for the well-being of Indonesia.

Let's be honest to the people of Indonesia, this stunt was more for the benefit of Mr. SBY to garner some international credibility for his future bid as UN Secretary General or winning the noble prize, yet can you seriously tell us what's in it for Indonesia? It was truly a one-sided personal decision by Mr. President, while the rest of the country were simply blind-sided (ask Minister of Forestry, Minister of Environment, Minister of Agriculture, etc).

Either way, this moratorium is happening now and I am expecting this moratorium as part a clear grand strategic national plan for the long-term future of our forest management without sacrificing the welfare of our people and the best interest of Indonesia's global economy competitiveness - no more selfish emotional on-the-spot short-term decision by Mr. President, please.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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